A day in the life of a stay-at-home mom and business owner can be busy and varied, juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. Here is a very loose schedule that combines tasks from each of these roles:
6:30 am - Wake up and get the girls ready for school. Prepare breakfast and pack lunches. I always hit snooze at least once...
7:30 am - Drop off the girls at school. Take some time to check emails and respond to any urgent messages regarding that week's wedding or design projects.
8:00 am - Head to a client's home for an interior design consultation. Discuss design ideas, take measurements, and create a plan for the project. OR Meet a client for headshots or a branding session with their team. On a "quiet" day I will come straight home to clean the house, read a book, manage some aspect of the business, or take my dog for a walk.
10:00 am - Return home and spend some time editing photos from a recent photoshoot. Select the best shots and prepare them for delivery to the client. I record LIVE! with Kelly and Mark, so if I don't watch it live I will turn it on while I work from the living room.
12:00 pm - Take a break for lunch and spend quality time with Maya who is home with me most days but does go to part-time preschool. We go for walks, play games, clean up the girls rooms, or let her have beloved screen time! I also fill my calendar with many volunteering events at both schools. Lunch duty, book fair, holiday parties, special events, etc. I am so thankful to be involved with the girls schools and extracurricular activities.
1:00 pm - Work on consulting clients paperwork and timeline, conduct research, and prepare presentations or reports for clients. Brainstorm strategies and solutions to help businesses improve their performance. This part of my job is super fun because I had to do so much research to launch my own business back in 2016. I get so excited to help others rebrand or create their business altogether!
3:00 pm - Attend a virtual meeting with a photography client to discuss upcoming projects, timelines, and creative concepts. Confirm details and schedule future photoshoots. I have school pickup around this time so I can get a lot of my calls done in car line. Multi-tasking at its finest!
5:00 pm - Prepare dinner and catch up on the day's events and share stories with each other. Let me be clear, I don't cook. Jon prepares dinner for us most nights, but there is always cleaning and shopping to do before he gets home from work. I typically spend the late afternoon doing what I can to make for a peaceful evening of homework, dinner, baths, movie, and bed.
8:00-9:00 pm - Put the kids to bed and spend some time reviewing interior design concepts and trends. Sketch out ideas for upcoming projects and gather inspiration from design magazines or online resources. I will never share my screen time analytics because you all would be absolutely SHOCKED, however I always try to explain that I am looking for inspiration and motivation through social media and that it truly is work. I am an artist and am always creating in my mind, even if it seems to the world that I am forever on my phone. I did write this blog from my computer though, so not the same type of screen time I guess.
10:00 pm - Wrap up any remaining tasks for the day, including responding to emails, updating project timelines, and organizing files for easy access. There is always something to do when you're a mom and/or business owner. My goal for 2024 is to have a set work schedule and I only respond to emails (unless urgent or time-sensitive) during my designated work hours. It's hard though to get to that point, so totally understand if you struggle with this.
11:00 pm - Wind down for the night and relax with a good book, glass of wine, and watch reality tv.
Every day truly is different for me, but this is a general idea of the multitasking skills and time management required to balance these different roles effectively. Each day presents new challenges and opportunities to showcase creativity, problem-solving abilities, and a passion for helping others in various capacities. I rarely say "I'm bored". When the new mom reaches out that she wants to make her side hustle a legit business I feel confident supporting her along the way. It's not easy, but it's so worth it. I have the best of both worlds and am forever grateful for this opportunity, career, loving family, and support.
XO,
A
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